Confederation Line (Stage 1) | In Service 1.0

[LeadingEdgeBoomer]

Originally Posted by daud

You can add non working emergency buttons to the revolving list of LRT issues now.

this incident is horrible and while a working emergency button may not have changed the outcome for the victim, it may have helped catch the attacker.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ottawa/comments/zgi3jm/random_violent_assault_on_the_lrt_tonight/

I don't know why or how the emergency button wasn't working on the LRT last night but I really hope someone takes ownership and responsibility to deliver a safe and working solution.

Safety on public transit is a big issue. In the last few days a man with a knife assaulted two women on the Toronto Subway. One died and a suspect has been charged with murder and attempted murder. Might we soon need something akin to Air Marshals on our public transit?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/high-park-subway-station-stabbing-1.6680113

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by LeadingEdgeBoomer

Safety on public transit is a big issue. In the last few days a man with a knife assaulted two women on the Toronto Subway. One died and a suspect has been charged with murder and attempted murder. Might we soon need something akin to Air Marshals on our public transit?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/high-park-subway-station-stabbing-1.6680113

The TTC has 1,790,800 riders per day. It is probably statistically safer to ride the subway/streetcar than it is to drive or walk yourself to work with regards to random violent crime (car-jacking, road rage, mugging, etc.). This is not a trend anyone wants to see get worse but I don't think it does us any favours to talk like it's 1970's in New York on the subway.

[Uhuniau]

Originally Posted by AuxTown

The TTC has 1,790,800 riders per day. It is probably statistically safer to ride the subway/streetcar than it is to drive or walk yourself to work with regards to random violent crime (car-jacking, road rage, mugging, etc.). This is not a trend anyone wants to see get worse but I don't think it does us any favours to talk like it's 1970's in New York on the subway.

It also doesn't do us any favours to bury our heads in the sand. And the Rideau bus stops these days are starting to look and feel like every 1970s New York stereotype.

[kmcamp]

In this particular case, it seems like the emergency button worked, but nobody answered. So at least not a technical fault

[rocketphish]

Partial O-Train shutdown after mechanical malfunction of overhead electric cables near Lees Station
OC Transpo is investigating the cause of the malfunction

Gary Dimmock, Ottawa Citizen
Published Dec 18, 2022 • Last updated 36 minutes ago • 1 minute read



Rideau Transit Maintenance was working to repair the overhead electric cables of the O-Train Track 1 near Lees Station on Sunday.
Article content

OC Transpo said the repairs were expected to be completed by day’s end and said they were investigating the cause of the malfunction that happened around 11:45 Saturday night. For the rest of the night and into Sunday, OC Transpo called in their trusty buses to run between Rideau and St-Laurent Stations while trains ran in a loop in the east and west.

In the adjusted service, O-Train Track 1 opened Sunday at 8 a.m. and the trains were running in a loop from Tunney’s Pasture to uOttawa stations from Hurdman to Blair, with bus service between Rideau and Hurdman.

OC Transpo asked for patience and said full service would be restored on Sunday, once the system is “safe and stabilized.”

The city transit authority announced the breakdown on Twitter.




https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...erhead-electric-cables-near-lees-station

[JCL]

This is a video of the PM Rush Hour trains leaving the Belfast Maintenance Storage Facility (MSF) that I shot this Fall. OC Transpo requires 13 double trains to operate during the PM rush hour (11 double trains required during the midday).

This video is a similar to the one I filmed and posted last year in September 2021 (see post here).

I decided to refilm the video because of the Temporary Speed Restrictions that were implemented in late-July 2022. This meant that there was a change in the timing of when the in-service trains passed each other on the mainline near the Belfast MSF Connector tracks, as well as the time in which Trains 12 and 13 departed the Belfast MSF for the PM rush hour. Another reason for refilming the video is because I wanted to capture the train movements from different angles.

For reference on timing:
- PM Rush Hour Train 12 departs the MSF at 14:31 going east towards St. Laurent Station (this train being inserted between 14:08 trip and 14:15 trip from Tunney’s Pasture)
- PM Rush Hour Train 13 departs the MSF at 14:37 going west to Tremblay Station (this train being inserted between 14:28 trip and 14:35 trip from Blair)

(Note that occasionally there is a train parked at Blair Station for a prolonged period of time during the midday. Should that occur, that train at Blair will become Train 13 and will do the full trip from Blair to Tunney’s Pasture, departing Blair at 14:32)

Finally if you watch the video, you will also note an interesting error with the passenger information display sign and the station announcement as Trains 12 and 13 arrive at St. Laurent and Tremblay Station (respectively) as their first stop for the afternoon.

• Video Link

[lrt's friend]

Is there really two extra trains at pm peak period? I thought service frequency is flat at 5 minutes both mid-day and during peak periods.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Is there really two extra trains at pm peak period? I thought service frequency is flat at 5 minutes both mid-day and during peak periods.

15 double trains during the AM Rush Hour (and Canada Day during the evening)
13 double trains during the PM Rush Hour
11 double trains during the off-peak (except late at night, and maybe early morning hours)

Prior to the Temporary Speed Restrictions:
- 15 double trains achieves a service frequency of every 3/4/4 minutes
- 13 double trains achieves a service frequency of every 4 minutes
- 11 double trains achieves a service frequency of every 5 minutes

With the Temporary Speed Restrictions, as of late-July 2022:
- 13 double trains achieves a service frequency of every 5 minutes
- 11 double trains achieves a service frequency of every 6 minutes

I have not ridden the LRT during the AM rush hour as of late, so I don't what service frequency is being achieved with 15 double trains these days (I'd imagine every 4 minutes or so?)

[eltodesukane]

Heated floors might have been a good idea.
(photo from Cyrville station)

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by eltodesukane

Heated floors might have been a good idea.
(photo from Cyrville station)

The stations have heated platforms. I’ve heard that some of them don’t work though.

[rocketphish]

LRT back in full service after repairs to electrical system

Staff Reporter, Ottawa Citizen
Published Dec 31, 2022 • 1 minute read

The O-Train was back in service shortly before 10 a.m. after crews repaired a support wire that snapped at about midnight near Cyrville Station.

“I am pleased to inform you that the repairs to the parafil are complete,” transit services general manager Renée Amilcar said in a memo to council posted on Twitter.

Earlier, Amilcar reported that a wire supporting the overhead power system, called a “parafil,” snapped just before midnight near Cyrville Station.

R1 buses had been transporting passengers between Tremblay and Blair stations while repair work was underway,

Amicar said the memo the latest problem was not related to “to the mechanical issue that occurred at Lees Station on Dec. 18.”

That breakdown also involved the “parafil” system and was itself linked to a previous repair.

Amilcar said the breakdown is under investigation and promised updates as available.

Service on OC Transpo is free from 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve until 4 a.m. New Year’s Day.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...nt-and-blair-electrical-repairs-underway

[DarthVader_1961]

https://twitter.com/oc_transpo/status/1610938608961077248?s=61&t=YHQkp8IE4T7RoMPGU2uI4A

[rocketphish]

Some LRT disruptions continue Thursday; ice buildup stops two trains overnight stranding 37 passengers

Megan Gillis, Ottawa Citizen
Published Jan 05, 2023 • 2 minute read

OC Transpo is continuing to use R1 buses service between Rideau and Blair stations Thursday as the system continues to be affected by freezing rain issues.

About three dozen passengers were stuck in two stopped LRT trains overnight, some for almost an hour, in an incident OC Transpo blames on ice buildup on the catenary system that powers the rail line.

A freezing rain warning remains in effect for Ottawa Thursday morning.

As of about 6:15 a.m. Thursday, train service was running between Tunney’s Pasture and the University of Ottawa, OC Transpo said. Replacement bus service was running between Rideau and Blair stations with a shuttle bus between St. Laurent and Cyrville stations.

In an update Thursday morning, city transit GN Renée Amilcar said that crews were still trying to move two trains stuck between Lees and Hurdman stations and a third train stopped at Tremblay Station.
Rideau Transit Maintenance was still taking ice off the catenary system, delaying the three trains being taken off the line.

Two trains were cleared to start service to the west at about 5:40 a.m.,running in a loop between Tunney’s Pasture and uOttawa stations but replacement buses were launched between Rideau and Blair Stations.

Staff are on hand to help riders, the transit service said promising updates to come.

Renée Amilcar, general manager of transit services, said in a memo to city council early Thursday that an eastbound train stopped between Lees and Hurdman stations at about 11:45 p.m. Wednesday.

Alstom technicians were dispatched to try to get the train running and the transit operations control centre began running eastbound service on a single track.

But soon after, a second train stopped on the opposite track between Lees and Hurdman. More Alstom technicians were dispatched to the second train.

Freezing rain was falling so transit staff decided to keep passengers on board the trains during work to restore service, Amilcar wrote.

At about 12:40 a.m., OC Transpo special constables and other transit staff were sent to 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 about 37 passengers from the two stuck trains to Hurdman station where they boarded a bus to continue their trip.

A preliminary analysis pins the cause of the stopped trains on ice buildup on the catenary system.

There was also a temporary power loss between Blair Station and Tremblay Station from about 12:05 a.m. to about 12:30 a.m. Thursday. Replacement buses were launched while rail service ran in a loop between UOttawa Station and Tunney’s Pasture Station.

With trains stopped east of Lees Station, ice began to build up on the overhead catenary system in that area. Crews and trains with ice scrapers were sent to remove ice from the system, which delayed removing the two stuck trains.

“The root cause of the power loss is under investigation,” Amilcar said.

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-new...ower-stranded-passengers-in-stuck-trains

[Dzingle Bells]

http://https://twitter.com/typezero303/status/1610850085587271680?s=20&t=sC7BExMfOk-VYooCmmOrvA

just practicing for canada day fireworks

edited : fixed link, thanks @lrt's friend

[lrt's friend]

Originally Posted by Dzingle Bells

http://https://twitter.com/typezero303/status/1610850085587271680?s=20&t=sC7BExMfOk-VYooCmmOrvA

just practicing for canada day fireworks

You missed a ":" in the URL. Here is the correct address

https://twitter.com/typezero303/status/1610850085587271680?s=20&t=sC7BExMfOk-VYooCmmOrvA

[lrt's friend]

After seeing LRT in action again yesterday, and the current freezing rain issues, I have some comments and questions.

1. Would it have helped last night to maintain more frequent service through to the end of service? I thought we were going to keep trains running quite frequently during such weather events and overnight to prevent ice build up on the wires and rails. Given that Ottawa and Montreal are perhaps the most ice prone cities in North America, we need to be better prepared for freezing rain. This was not an exceptional storm. Montreal better be paying attention for their upcoming REM network.

2. Is there any practical way to protect catenary wires from ice build up? For example, some sort of covering system that protects the wires.

3. Regarding the odor problem particularly at Rideau station, has there been any indication of the cause? Is there seepage into the tunnel resulting in stagnant water? If there is, are they pumping it out of the tunnel? Is there a way to improve air circulation ? Perhaps a very expensive solution is to have more air vents to the surface with fans.

4. Regarding the poor design of Hurdman station, it seems to me that the active outgoing bus platforms are the furthest from the rail station. Is there a way to use the mostly unused platforms closest to the station?

5. Regarding signage at Hurdman Station, can we not re-arrange the bus platform signs, so that the route numbers are more visible as you walk from the rail station? At present, only the platform letter is easily visible with the route numbers concealed behind the bus shelters. I find the platform letter useless information. Can we not have both the platform letter and the route numbers facing the same direction so that both are visible as you walk from the rail station?

6. Further regarding Hurdman signage, and this is more expensive, but we need an airport style departure board over the stairs at the west end of the rail station. There is a perfect spot above the stairs that everybody will face as they exit the trains and walk towards the stairs. Let's face it, if you are familiar with Hurdman station and are transferring to a bus, you will likely choose to board the west half of a train coming from downtown, so that your walk to the bus platforms is shorter. The current location of signage is poorly placed. Those who use the west stairs receive absolutely no next bus or platform letter information. Just to mention, that the next bus signs were not functioning at Hurdman Station last night. This really leaves the user with no idea about departing buses.

7. As a result of riding the trains a number of times in the last few weeks, I have to ask whether we are going to have to re-lay the track particularly between Lees and Tremblay stations to eliminate the go-slow orders? I think it is a terrible pity that we purchased trains capable of good speeds and then have them operate at bicycle speeds.

8. It seems to me that dwell times at stations are excessive at the present time. Can we not reduce dwell times or tailor dwell times based on ridership patterns at various times of the day? The excessive dwell times are extending travel times, which will only get worse as Phase 2 and Phase 3 come on-line.

[llatch]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

8. It seems to me that dwell times at stations are excessive at the present time. Can we not reduce dwell times or tailor dwell times based on ridership patterns at various times of the day? The excessive dwell times are extending travel times, which will only get worse as Phase 2 and Phase 3 come on-line.

Lot's of good comments, but this one in particular stood out. Riding the Montreal Metro felt like using a system that was actually interested in moving people rapidly, from dwell times, to the timing between when the train stops and the doors open/when the doors close and the train leaves. All of it was very quick and left little time where you were just sitting there.


The O-Train, while also dealing with slow down orders, just feels much less like a rapid transit system in comparison.

[Fading Isle]

Originally Posted by llatch

Lot's of good comments, but this one in particular stood out. Riding the Montreal Metro felt like using a system that was actually interested in moving people rapidly, from dwell times, to the timing between when the train stops and the doors open/when the doors close and the train leaves. All of it was very quick and left little time where you were just sitting there.


The O-Train, while also dealing with slow down orders, just feels much less like a rapid transit system in comparison.

Same with Toronto. Not just dwell times, but the time between when the train moves and the doors open/close is very short compared to Ottawa. I remember within the first few months of Toronto implementing the new Bombardier “Toronto Rocket” subway trains, the time it took for the doors to operate was noticeably longer than the older trains. It messed with the timing of the whole system and made for notably longer commute times than before, so they that was a huge priority and I remember the issue being corrected pretty quickly.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

After seeing LRT in action again yesterday, and the current freezing rain issues, I have some comments and questions.

1. Would it have helped last night to maintain more frequent service through to the end of service? I thought we were going to keep trains running quite frequently during such weather events and overnight to prevent ice build up on the wires and rails. Given that Ottawa and Montreal are perhaps the most ice prone cities in North America, we need to be better prepared for freezing rain. This was not an exceptional storm. Montreal better be paying attention for their upcoming REM network.

2. Is there any practical way to protect catenary wires from ice build up? For example, some sort of covering system that protects the wires.

3. Regarding the odor problem particularly at Rideau station, has there been any indication of the cause? Is there seepage into the tunnel resulting in stagnant water? If there is, are they pumping it out of the tunnel? Is there a way to improve air circulation ? Perhaps a very expensive solution is to have more air vents to the surface with fans.

4. Regarding the poor design of Hurdman station, it seems to me that the active outgoing bus platforms are the furthest from the rail station. Is there a way to use the mostly unused platforms closest to the station?

5. Regarding signage at Hurdman Station, can we not re-arrange the bus platform signs, so that the route numbers are more visible as you walk from the rail station? At present, only the platform letter is easily visible with the route numbers concealed behind the bus shelters. I find the platform letter useless information. Can we not have both the platform letter and the route numbers facing the same direction so that both are visible as you walk from the rail station?

6. Further regarding Hurdman signage, and this is more expensive, but we need an airport style departure board over the stairs at the west end of the rail station. There is a perfect spot above the stairs that everybody will face as they exit the trains and walk towards the stairs. Let's face it, if you are familiar with Hurdman station and are transferring to a bus, you will likely choose to board the west half of a train coming from downtown, so that your walk to the bus platforms is shorter. The current location of signage is poorly placed. Those who use the west stairs receive absolutely no next bus or platform letter information. Just to mention, that the next bus signs were not functioning at Hurdman Station last night. This really leaves the user with no idea about departing buses.

7. As a result of riding the trains a number of times in the last few weeks, I have to ask whether we are going to have to re-lay the track particularly between Lees and Tremblay stations to eliminate the go-slow orders? I think it is a terrible pity that we purchased trains capable of good speeds and then have them operate at bicycle speeds.

8. It seems to me that dwell times at stations are excessive at the present time. Can we not reduce dwell times or tailor dwell times based on ridership patterns at various times of the day? The excessive dwell times are extending travel times, which will only get worse as Phase 2 and Phase 3 come on-line.

There was a conversation about some of this on RailFans Discord today.

Here are some answers.

1. That was part of the plan. Unsure if it would have helped.
2. Yes. There's a heat trace solution, there's this, an "Ice Barrier": https://www.midwestind.com/product-overview/ice-barrier/, but these were not in the Project Agreement.
3. They tried a bunch of things the first year of operation, but it seems they gave up. Haven't heard anything since the pandemic.
4. They could. Not sure why they won't.
5. Yeah, signs should be in front of the shelters (closer to the rail station), not behind.
6. I wish they would enclose the concourse, heat/cool it, add benches and proper arrival/departure boards. Make it a true bus depot.
7. Slow speeds are mostly due to a slow order while they investigate one of the issues from summer 2021 (I believe). No word on when this might eb resolved.
8. Again yes, they could. Not sure why they won't. Cyrville, Tremblay, Pimisi, Bayview (until Line 2 reopens) could be reduced to under 10 seconds, yet they remain at 25-30 seconds. This could shorten the end-to-end trips making the slow order less painful.

The City figured that they have too little experience to design and build a rail system so they leave it to the private sector however, the private sector only proposes/builds what the City includes in the RFP. So at the end of the day, the whole P3 was moot.

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by llatch

Lot's of good comments, but this one in particular stood out. Riding the Montreal Metro felt like using a system that was actually interested in moving people rapidly, from dwell times, to the timing between when the train stops and the doors open/when the doors close and the train leaves. All of it was very quick and left little time where you were just sitting there.


The O-Train, while also dealing with slow down orders, just feels much less like a rapid transit system in comparison.

Originally Posted by Fading Isle

Same with Toronto. Not just dwell times, but the time between when the train moves and the doors open/close is very short compared to Ottawa. I remember within the first few months of Toronto implementing the new Bombardier “Toronto Rocket” subway trains, the time it took for the doors to operate was noticeably longer than the older trains. It messed with the timing of the whole system and made for notably longer commute times than before, so they that was a huge priority and I remember the issue being corrected pretty quickly.

I agree, it's pretty pathetic. Overall, the train is great. Very reliable. Slower than driving, but at least you know how long it will take (events ,like today aside). That said, we really need to resolve the slow-order and adjust the dwell times.